Reactor and method for producing oil from shredded tyres

Abstract: The reactor (3) is provided with accesses (10,65) for introducing shredded tyres and oil into the reactor. There are egresses (120,140A) from the reactor for discharging the tyre oil and for discharging unreacted elements. Screens (73) are located within the reactor to separate the unreacted components of the shredded tyres from the tyre oil. The unreacted elements are removed from the reactor through two interconnected conduits (140A,160) each containing respective screw augers (101,163). The reactor also includes a heater (130) which heats the inside of the reactor to a temperature sufficient to cause a reaction between the shredded tyres and the oil.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to reactors in general and, more particularly, to a reactor for a tyre liquefaction process in which shredded tyres and oil are reacted together to provide tyre oil. Prior Art US-A-5,070,109 relates to the recovery of hydrocarbon products from elastomeric products, such as vehicle tyres by a batch process treatment thereof. A reactor vessel, which is provided with heating means, has a loading chamber with top and bottom openable hatches and means for opening the bottom hatch to load products to be treated into the reactor. The reactor contains a bath of a hydrocarbon liquid heat transfer medium maintained at an elevated temperature. Pieces of tyre are loaded into a wire mesh basket provided in the hot liquid bath and are subjected to thermal cracking therein. Hot hydrocarbon gases are vented from the top of the reactor. After the process is completed, heavy liquid separated from the tyre is run off from the bottom of the reactor and the basket containing pieces of steel cord from the tyres, is then separately removed therefrom. EP-A-0 019 389 describes pyrolysing shredded tyres in which residues are removed by a plurality of screw devices inclined at an angle. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for treating shredded tyres to produce tyre oil, which facilitates removal of the separated, unreacted components from the reactor. The invention provides a tyre oil reactor which reacts shredded tyres and oil to produce tyre oil, comprising: (a) first inlet means for receiving shredded tyres; (b) second inlet means for receiving oil; (c) heating means for heating the inside of the reactor to a temperature sufficient to cause a reaction between the shredded tyres and the oil to produce tyre oil; (d) separating means located within the reactor for separating unreacted components of the shredded tyres from the tyre oil; (e) discharge means for discharging the tyre oil from the reactor; and (f) removal means for removing the unreacted components from the reactor, which comprises a substantially horizontal first conduit means affixed to the reactor; a substantially vertical second conduit means connected to the first conduit means; a first screw auger means, having a portion located within the reactor and the remaining portion within the first conduit means, for moving the unreacted components from the reactor through the first conduit to the second conduit; a first motor means connected to the first screw auger means for driving the first screw auger means so as to remove unreacted components from the reactor; a second screw auger means located within the second conduit means for preventing binding of the unreacted components exiting the first conduit means and for moving the unreacted components so as to discharge the unreacted components; and a second motor means connected to the second screw auger means for driving the second screw auger means. The invention also provides a tyre oil reaction method which reacts shredded tyres and oil to produce tyre oil comprising the steps of: introducing shredded tyres into a reactor; introducing oil into the reactor; heating the inside of the reactor to a temperature sufficient to cause a reaction between the shredded tyres and the oil to produce tyre oil; separating unreacted components of the shredded tyres from the tyre oil within the reactor; discharging the tyre oil from the reactor; and removing the unreacted components from the reactor by using a first screw auger means in a substantially horizontal first conduit means to move the unreacted components from the reactor through the first conduit means and through a substantially vertical second conduit means connected to the first conduit means and containing a second screw auger means. The objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter, from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawings, wherein one embodiment is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic central section view of a reactor, constructed in accordance with the present invention, taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic central section view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cut away representative of the screens mounted internally in the reactor. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is a reactor 3 which is used to react tyres and liquid oil, generally in the form of waste oil, to convert the non-metal components of the shredded tyres to tyre oil in a process described and disclosed in US-A-5 364 996. Many of the shredded tyres, if not all of the shredded tyres, will have pieces of metal in them, either from the steel belt, in the steel belted radial-type tyres, or from the beading around the edge of the tyres. These metal components, as well as some other components, are not converted to tyre oil. Reactor 3 has an entrance port 10 with flanged portion for connection to other pipes 16. A deflection plate 27 is also associated with the port 10 so that as the shredded tyres enter the reactor 3, they are directed towards the center of the reactor 3. Also shown is a port 38 with a flanged connection 39 for the insertion of a mixer which is used to mix the shredded tyre and oil. Another port 52 with a flange connection 53 is used to draw off any gas that develops in the process. Further, there is shown an injection port 65 with flange connection 66 where oil used in the reaction process is injected into chamber 4. Internally, the reactor is divided into an upper section 4 and a lower section 92 by two screens 73, which are connected to each other by an arcuate bottom element 75. Screens 73 are made of plate metal. Fig. 3 shows a cut away portion of screen 73 to the hole arrangement. In one example, each hole is approximately 1.27 mm (½ inch) in diameter. There is also located within the upper section 4 of the reactor screw auger means 101 having a shaft 102 with a spiral wound blade 103. Screw auger means 101 will be described more fully hereinafter along with its cooperation with screens 73 and bottom element 75. Also shown in Fig. 1 is a bottom port 120 with a flange connection 121. Further, there is shown as entering into chamber 92, a conventional-type emersion heater 130. A draw-off port 140 with a flange connection 141, is also provided. A horizontal conduit 140A is connected to the reactor 3. The screw auger means 101 has an end section disposed within the arcuate bottom element 75 which acts as a collection trough for metal elements separated by the screens 73 from the shredded tyres. The screw auger means 101 extends therefrom through the conduit 104A. Motor means 145 rotates auger screw means 101 so as to move the metal that has separated from the tyre shreds, out of the reactor 3 for discharge. The metal is carried along conduit 140A by auger screw means 101 until it encounters a vertical conduit 160 having a vertically arranged auger screw means 163. Auger screw means 163 is rotated by a motor 170. Auger screw means 163 like auger screw means 101 has a shaft 174 with a spiral blade 176. Auger screw means 163 extends to the end of conduit 160 which has a mounted flange 180. Material carried from the reactor 3 is discharged from the system through conduit 160.

Claims: A tyre oil reactor which reacts shredded tyres and oil produce tyre oil, comprising: (a) first inlet means for receiving shredded tyres; (b) second inlet means for receiving oil; (c) heating means for heating the inside of the reactor to a temperature sufficient to cause a reaction between the shredded tyres and the oil to produce tyre oil; (d) separating means located within the reactor for separating unreacted components of the shredded tyres from the tyre oil; (e) discharge means for discharging the tyre oil from the reactor; and (f) removal means for removing the unreacted components from the reactor, which comprises a substantially horizontal first conduit means affixed to the reactor; a substantially vertical second conduit means connected to the first conduit means; characterized in that; a first screw auger means, having a portion located within the reactor and the remaining portion within the first conduit means, for moving the unreacted components from the reactor through the first conduit to the second conduit; a first motor means connected to the first screw auger means for driving the first screw auger means so as to remove unreacted components from the reactor; a second screw auger means located within the second conduit means for preventing binding of the unreacted components exiting the first conduit means and for moving the unreacted components so as to discharge the unreacted components; and a second motor means connected to the second screw auger means for driving the second screw auger means. A reactor as described in Claim 1 wherein the separating means includes a pair of screens located within the chamber means at a predetermined angle with the vertical, and a bottom element connecting said screens to facilitate the movement of the unreacted components down the screens to the bottom element to be removed by the removal means while the tyre oil passes through the screens to the discharge means. A reactor as described in Claim 2 wherein the screens are metal plates having holes of a predetermined diameter drilled in a predetermined arrangement so as to facilitate the passage of the tyre oil through the screens while preventing the unreacted components from passing through. A tyre oil reaction method which reacts shredded tyres and oil to produce tyre oil comprising the steps of: introducing shredded tyres into a reactor; introducing oil into the reactor; heating the inside of the reactor to a temperature sufficient to cause a reaction between the shredded tyres and the oil to produce tyre oil; separating unreacted components of the shredded tyres from the tyre oil within the reactor; discharging the tyre oil from the reactor; and characterized in that removing the unreacted components from the reactor by using a first screw auger means in a substantially horizontal first conduit means to move the unreacted components from the reactor through the first conduit means and through a substantially vertical second conduit means connected to the first conduit means and containing a second screw auger means.

Inventors: AVETISIAN VAHAN, BUGESCU CONSTANTIN, BURTON ROBERT STANLEY III, CASTAGNOLI CRAIG JOSEPH, CHA SUK-BAE, LEE KENNETH SCOTT, ROBIN ALLEN MAURICE, AVETISIAN, VAHAN, BUGESCU, CONSTANTIN, BURTON, ROBERT STANLEY III, CASTAGNOLI, CRAIG JOSEPH, CHA, SUK-BAE, LEE, KENNETH SCOTT, ROBIN, ALLEN MAURICE
Applicants: TEXACO DEVELOPMENT CORP, TEXACO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: C10B53
IPC codes: C10G1, C10B53, C10B33, B09B3, B01J8